Are Your Sheet Masks Actually Working? According to an Expert, the Answer Is No

I was never a sheet-mask devotee until recently. I still don't use too many different ones due to my sensitive skin, but I have found a few that I love using for an extra boost of hydration. I thought these masks were enough to boost moisture in my dehydrated, barrier-damaged skin, but then I came across Kibon Beauty. Kibon Beauty is a K-beauty-inspired brand with a next-level radiance-boosting sheet mask that made me do a double take.

What grabbed my attention was the technology the brand utilizes for advanced penetration into the skin. Intrigued yet? Well, to take it a step further, the brand's co-founder Winnie Chu actually told me that most other sheet masks that don't utilize this technology probably aren't working as well. For more on these sheet masks and why your regular ones might not be doing the trick, keep on reading. I'm sharing what I learned below.

Topical products can only go so far if they don't have a little help. "Most skincare products that are applied topically only work at the skin's surface, which often results in most active ingredients immediately starting to evaporate after they are applied," says Chu. "In order for your ingredients to actually reach into the deeper layers of the skin, it requires the ability to penetrate (when an active ingredient is able to make its way through the stratum corneum and into the deep layers). Research has shown that when skincare is able to penetrate the stratum corneum in the epidermis, active ingredients show higher efficacy. While this may sound fairly straightforward, it is often easier said than done. The stratum corneum serves as the first barrier between your body and the environment, and as such, it is designed to keep elements out. Furthermore, this layer of skin made of keratin and lipids is waterproof, which further inhibits the ability for skincare to penetrate."

Yikes! This definitely makes me think twice about all my skincare products. "To ensure that our skincare is able to penetrate, we utilize LipoButy, a patented technology utilizing liposomes to facilitate the transport and delivery of the formulation into the deep layer of the skin," Chu further explains. "Liposomes are constructed of the same material as a cell membrane and have a small particle size, which means that it is able to mimic the property of the skin membrane and allow it to seamlessly penetrate through the skin. The liposome's phospholipid bilayer preserves the integrity of the formulation and its active ingredients by encapsulating it entirely, which prevents degradation and loss of ingredients during transport. Unlike traditional liposome technology—which only allows the encapsulation of one ingredient—LipoButy is able to encapsulate the entire formulation. Within each drop of our formulation, there are one trillion liposomes working diligently to get the formulation to where it needs to be."

I tried these sheet masks out for a week, and my thoughts on them are below.

My skin is so sensitive, and it can be hard to find products that don't irritate it or cause breakouts. I was sure to triple-check the ingredients in this sheet mask for any potential pore-cloggers, and I have good news for my fellow acne-prone folks out there! This sheet mask contains zero pore-clogging ingredients, and it didn't irritate my sensitive skin at all. In fact, after one use, my skin felt so much more hydrated, and any redness around my nose area disappeared. I've been dealing with skin-barrier damage for some time now, and these sheet masks contain ingredients that target that.

It contains citrus blossom, which Chu let me know is extremely helpful in repairing skin damage while brightening and protecting the skin from future damage. Additionally, soothing chamomile reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, and superstar ingredient niacinamide improves texture and tone. Lastly, super hydrators hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid plump the skin and give it a dewy glow. I've used two of these masks so far, and they've definitely made my skin really soft. My skin is in desperate need of extra hydration, so I think I'll be adding these to my skincare routine twice a week. The texture of the mask is so silky, and it makes your skin look and feel incredible after each use.